The Information Network of Kansas (INK) is reaching out to local government and business leaders to form new partnerships to help make government more accessible to Kansans. INK was statutorily created in 1992 to assist state and local government agencies to collect, analyze, and disseminate data/information.  INK was the first such organization created in the U.S. and is a model that other states have followed. Our mission is to enhance public access to government data and information.  INK often does not charge fees for its services. INK contracts with KIC/Tyler Technologies as its system and support manager.

INK recently hired a new Executive Director, Murray McGee.  Murray is a Certified Public Manager with over 20 years’ experience in local government.  Most recently he served as the City Administrator in Moundridge, KS, and comes to INK with a collaborative “can do” attitude.

McGee is planning a series of meetings across the state to meet with local government staff, elected officials, business, and community leaders to discuss your needs for access to government data. He will also discuss INK’s grant program which was created to assist state and local governments acquire necessary software and hardware to develop program capabilities.  For example, INK is funding a project with the Kansas Biological Survey to layer multi-agency and multi-format water data so that relationships may be observed for policy-making purposes.

INK is also currently funding the modernization of the state’s Amber Alert system as well as the development and implementation of a Dept. of Revenue program that will permit 105 counties and the Dept. to analyze property assessment data – while permitting counties to retain control of their data and allowing members of the public to view selected data.

INK provides a broad range of services to Kansas agencies and serves over half the Executive Branch agencies as well as over 400 local government entities.  INK is the largest provider of payment processing to state and local agencies in the state of Kansas. INK has a broad range of capabilities that include transforming paper-based systems to online solutions, making government data more accessible to individuals and businesses, payment processing, as well as a broad range of other innovative solutions such as appointment scheduling, website development, and multi-agency collaborative projects.

Meetings have been scheduled for December 4^th at 10 AM and 2 PM at the BriefSpace (219 W 10th St.) in Hays; December 5^th at 10 AM; 2 PM and 6 PM at the Sundstrom Conference Center (102 N. Main St.) in Lindsborg; December 6^th 10 AM; 2 PM and 6 PM at the Greater Wichita Partnership meeting room (505 E. Douglas) and December 8^th at 10 AM and 2 PM at the Sunflower Foundation (Sunflower Board Room) 5820 SW 6th Ave, Topeka, KS.

Please let us know if you can attend. Contact INK Executive Director, Murray McGee at 785-296-2408 or e-mail murray.mcgee@ks.gov.

Announced in fall 2019, the Neodesha Promise Scholarship — funded by high school alumnus and philanthropist Ben Cutler — vowed to turn the tide for the southeast Kansas town of about 2,100, which for years had seen a dwindling population and enrollment in the school system. With Cutler’s funding from a lifetime as an executive in the finance and insurance industries, the program essentially guaranteed qualified graduates like Leck from Neodesha High School that their tuition to any college in Kansas or the country would be paid for, at least up to the equivalent of the highest in-state tuition and fees in Kansas. Four years and one pandemic later, the program has been a spark for the community, said Rebekah Peitz, who administers the program and helps students navigate college even after graduation.
Source: Hutch News

The Hutchinson Fire Department and Hutchinson Regional Medical Center are raising funds to provide a safe and anonymous way for mothers or guardians to legally surrender a child. The Infant Safety Box Project is aimed at raising at least $50,000 to install Hope’s Cradles at two fire stations. If more funds are raised, more cradles will be installed across the community. … “Our goal really is to ensure both the guardian and the child have a future,” Hutchinson Fire Chief Steven Beer said in a statement. “This cradle can give the guardian hope in a desperate situation and prevent the loss of life.”
Source: Hutch News

Terminating a live wire didn’t exactly come with his job description, but it’s something that Peterson, executive director of the Community Housing Development Organization, would gladly do again. Saline County funded a home Weatherization Assistance Program with American Rescue Plan Act dollars and asked his organization to take the lead. Since the program’s inception, Peterson has been able to help homeowners who are in situations that cause large energy bills, often unbeknownst to them. “We’ve seen a lot of things that made us feel extremely good about what we were doing — not only saving energy dollars but protecting them from dangerous situations,” Peterson said.
Source: Salina Journal

Human resources director Jacque Russell, the longest-tenured department head for Topeka’s city government, is leaving city employment. Russell has resigned effective Dec. 1, city communications director Gretchen Spiker said Wednesday. Russell joined the city in July 2007 as its classification and compensation manager before being promoted to human resources director in April 2008, Spiker said. The city over the coming weeks will identify an employee to serve as interim human resources director, then conduct a nationwide search to fill the position permanently, Spiker said.
Source: CJonline